This is Paradise! My North Korean ChildhoodBy Kang Hyok with Philippe GrangereauTranslated by Shaun WhitesideFrench journalist Philippe Grangereau first met North Korean refugee Kang Hyok back in 2003 in Prague. Kang, who was 17 at the time, had been invited by the People in Need Foundation to the fourth conference of the South Korean NGO “North Korean Human Rights.” The young boy was asked to share his life story in North Korea with two other refugees in their forties.The journalist recalls Kan

Books Feb. 24, 2012

Even the biggest secrets have secrets lurking behind them.And, Thomas Mallon suggests in his absorbing new novel “Watergate,” America’s biggest and dirtiest revealed secret was no exception.The 30th anniversary of the break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel is this June, and for many Americans, the cover-up and scandal that followed has become both a time marker and trivia.But the drama that led to the first and only resignation of a sitting U.S. president w

Books Feb. 24, 2012

Hollywood actress stars in romantic comedy thriller ‘This Means War’Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon said on Thursday it’s only natural for women to have wrinkles as they age, and she finds it wonderful to be an example of that on screen.During her first visit to Seoul the 35-year-old actress seemed unaffected when asked by a reporter whether she is “all right” with having visible wrinkles in a scene from her rom-com action film “This Means War.”“I’ve been making movies since I was 14,”the ac

Film Feb. 23, 2012

A cosmetics company canceled a Feb. 21 preview of a Japanese commercial featuring actress Kim Tae-hee, as Japanese netizens criticized her for advocating Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo.Dokdo is a group of rocky islets in the East Sea that Japan has claimed as part of its territory and calls Takeshima.Kim, who has been enjoying popularity as an actress and a model for television commercials in Korea since the early 2000s, served as a Dokdo advocate in 2005 with her younger brother Lee Wan, who is

Feb. 22, 2012

For those who have missed the chance to experience Seoul’s royal palaces at night or see a gugak concert in the court garden last year, the year 2012 will come as an exciting one. More cultural events and educational programs will take place in the four royal palaces in Seoul ―Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, and Deoksugung ― as well as Jongmyo shrine this year, including court cuisine sessions, gugak concerts, and late-night tours, Cultural Heritage Administration announced during

Performance Feb. 21, 2012

Kim Ki-duk, one of the best known South Korean auteurs overseas, started shooting his 18th film this month, according to production house NEW.The film, entitled “Pieta,” will star actor Lee Jeong-jin and actress Jo Min-soo. According to NEW, Kim thought of the initial plot of the film as he wanted to delve into the theme of evil, and whether or not “human beings have evilness as one of their innate qualities.”The upcoming film tells the story of a heartless man whose job is to threaten debtors t

Film Feb. 20, 2012

University of Edinburgh to commemorate late President Yun Bo-seon in autumnThis is the third of the series introducing cultural centers of different countries in Seoul ― Ed.For anyone interested in studying abroad ― especially in the U.K. ― the British Council office in central Seoul is the place to be next month. The British cultural institution will be holding a special event where representatives from six or seven of the U.K.’s world-class universities will share information on what each scho

Performance Feb. 19, 2012

Artist residency program in Sindang Jungang Market offers unusual art sceneFor anyone who has been to Jungang market near Sindang Station in Seoul, it would be hard to imagine that more than 30 artists have their working studios underground. And that some practically live there.The area is known for its merciless traffic and its overcrowded and colorful market. Stepping through the main gate of the market, you are overwhelmed by the aroma of pickled fish and mung bean pancakes, while endless foo

Performance Feb. 17, 2012

Helpless (Hwa-cha) (Korea)Opening March 8Thriller. Directed by Byeon Young-joo. Just one month ahead of their wedding, engaged couple Moon-ho (Lee Seon-gyun) and Sun-young (Kim Min-hee) head off to the countryside to visit Moon-ho’s parents. When Moon-ho returns to their car after getting coffee at a highway service area, Sun-young is nowhere to be found. Her phone is off. After not hearing from her for more than a week, a distraught Moon-ho asks his detective cousin Jong-geun for help. After Jo

Film Feb. 17, 2012

Ralph Fiennes’ “Coriolanus” is not your typical toga-and-sandals Shakespeare. It’s camouflage-and-combat boots Shakespeare, it’s gritty, it’s graffitied. Although the actor and first-time director is faithful to the Bard’s text, setting his tale of usurpation and political upheaval in the city-state of Rome, it looks more like Bosnia, or Beirut.Slabs of grim modernist architecture, the rubble and debris of poverty and conflict, TV monitors reporting news of rioting and war ― Fiennes’ “Coriolanus

Film Feb. 17, 2012

Friends Like Us By Lauren Fox(Knopf) As I read Lauren Fox’s new novel, I dog-eared the pages with witty lines, or impressively bitter ones, or ones that made me laugh.Please forgive me, Alfred A. Knopf, for what I’ve done to your book. I hadn’t intended to make origami out of it.Willa, her narrator, describes her parents’ marriage as “another planet, a harsh, extraterrestrial climate ― scalding mornings followed by blue-black evenings so frigid no life could possible be sustained there.”She take

Books Feb. 17, 2012

City as Art ― 100 Notable Works of Architecture in SeoulBy Yim Seok-jae(Hollym)From Gyeongbokgung to the old Seoul Station, it’s easy to spot historically significant buildings in Seoul. The city boasts a long history dating back to the Three Kingdoms period (B.C. 57-A.D. 688) and served as the national capital of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) for some 600 years. And as a result of rapid modernization and economic development in the last 60 years, Seoul also houses skyscrapers as well as other

Books Feb. 17, 2012

After “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Taylor Armstrong’s husband, Russell, killed himself in August 2011, Armstrong could have pulled back from the spotlight. Instead, she sought comfort in it.Five weeks after her husband’s death, Armstrong appeared on “Dr. Phil,” speaking about allegations that later would be unleashed on the Bravo reality TV series: that Russell physically and emotionally abused her. Six months after Russell’s death, she has released a tell-all book about their marriag

Books Feb. 17, 2012